Resolutions
by Lady Shera
Summary: AU: Unofficial sequal "The Solution" by BlackRosary. Character used with permission. CHAPTER 4: Haruhi is pondering her marriage after two years, and it's not all that rosy. Not like it was. Thanks for your reviews!
1. PROLOGUE: Sanctuary by the Sea

RESOLUTIONS

By Tsukiko Hitachiin

**_Notes and disclaimer:_**_ Special thank you to BlackRosary for giving me permission to use her OC Aiko from her fanfic "The Solution." Also, I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of its characters. That honor belongs to Bisco Hatori. Also, I don't own the OC Aiko. She belongs to BlackRosary. So thank you for not suing or slinging arrows at me._

**SPECIAL NOTE**: No host club members are present, or even directly mentioned in this chapter. Also, this fanfic is set in an alternate universe. I won't give out further details for fear of spoiling the details of the canon universe.

PROLOGUE: SANCTUARY BY THE SEA

_Place and Time: Private beach house sometime in the future, very early in the morning._

Time moved at an unusually slow pace just before sunrise.

That was an inalterable conclusion that she had drawn long ago.

A still-somewhat young woman sat in a white wicker chair and watched the horizon as the early morning lights struggled against the darkness to bring in the new day. As the night stars faded, she smiled a little and looked down at her hands, callused from holding various paintbrushes and not feeling nearly as soft and fragile as they once were.

The woman's name was Aiko, and she was taking a break from her early morning painting. She sipped a cup of orange spice tea and wore a green paint-splattered smock over her favorite purple yukata. Unlike other members of her family, she enjoyed waking up while it was still dark. It gave her time to reflect and work in peace.

Over the years, she had found some comfort working with her favorite oil painting in her private art studio, which was off limits to the rest of the world, during those small dark hours before the rest of the world woke up. With each small brush stroke against the canvas, she could forget her past for a time and quiet the remnants of pain she felt in her heart.

After a few minutes of watching a few more stars getting erased, Aiko stood up slowly, pushing off from the arms of the chair. She steadied herself with her cane and once the pain in her leg subsided, she moved slowly and silently down the hallway and opened the door leading to her art studio, her sanctuary. On the door hung a small rack with two other paint-stained smocks. Aiko slipped her arms out of the voluminous garment and hung it back on the empty hook. She pointedly ignored the old white scars that crisscrossed all over her otherwise soft, pale right arm and the dull pain in her lower leg.

_No need for unpleasant reminders. _

Aiko reached up and rubbed the remnants of scars on the right side of her face, briefly brushing aside the hair that obscured the sight of the old injuries. Even though she had been able to get reconstructive surgery, a few scars remained on her face and still tingled occasionally. She could still feel some of the pain from years ago, pain that stayed with her as a reminder of her old life.

_Today's the day._

And then the chords of her memory began to chime again in time with the small clock in the hallway.

It was now 5 a.m.

One more hour to go.

But how did it all happen? The tall, still-otherwise-elegant heiress shut the door and started back toward the porch. She reflected on her previous life and how unhappy it had been.

Even now, she was still working to rise up out of her former darkness, just as the first red glow of the impending sunrise was fighting to rise up over the horizon.

Setting the cane down by her chair, Aiko opened a small photo album and began to remember.

TBC…

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Author's note: Yes, this is a pretty vague prologue that has no doubt raised quite a few questions. Rest assured; all your questions will be answered. However, it is important to read the story "The Solution" first, since that fanfic will tell you a little more about the main protagonist and her situation. After reading that story for myself, I wanted to expand on the character and see how she finds her way in the world.

Please read and review. And thank you again to BlackRosary for allowing me to use her character in a fanfic. I know it took awhile for me to get started, but I hope it turns out well.


	2. Paper Husbands and Plastic Faces

_**Notes and disclaimer:**__ This chapter starts out two years later after the events of "The Solution." I don't own Ouran High School Host Club or any of its characters. That honor belongs to Bisco Hatori. Also, I don't own the OC Aiko. She belongs to BlackRosary. Again, thank you for not suing. _

CHAPTER 1: PAPER HUSBANDS AND PLASTIC FACES

_Place and Time: Hitachiin estate, almost two years after the wedding._

She had a husband and yet she didn't.

She was lawfully wedded to him on paper, but that's all it was, paper.

She was part of the Hitachiin family in public; in private, she was suspended in limbo.

Married life had not been as kind to Aiko Hitachiin as she would have wanted. Instead being happily married and living her dreams, she found she was trapped in a loveless marriage for the sake of someone else's happiness, with no way into their blissful world and no way out of it because of her own family's expectations.

Actually, it was three people who were married to each other, specifically, one woman married to two men. Haruhi Fujioka, supposedly one the most influential women in Japan, a brilliant, much-sought-after lawyer, had successfully stolen her dream. Both of the men she was with were outstanding fashion designers named Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, both of whom had asked for Haruhi's hand in marriage.

But in Japan, a woman couldn't be married to two men because of the law. So they had picked out Aiko (presumably because her family owned one of the largest textile firms in Japan) and arranged a marriage between her and Kaoru Hitachiin, the younger twin brother of Hikaru Hitachiin.

She had been so excited for her wedding, after having been told many times that she would be happy when she made her husband happy. That was, after all, her job as an upper class wife. Nothing else was important.

But after the wedding, she had an entirely different feeling; a cold pit in her stomach as to what was to come in this sham of an arrangement.

The love and happiness she expected in marriage never materialized, but no one knew just how unhappy Aiko really was, and it seemed like no one took the time to care.

To the outside world, Aiko tried to make herself seem as happy as possible in order to accommodate her family's wishes and avoid losing face. She dutifully accompanied Haruhi and the Hitachiins to various public appearances, wore all the Hitachiin originals, and played the part of the gracious hostess for the parties held at the mansion.

Her smiles were wide, but never quite reached her eyes.

Underneath the surface, however, Aiko had to contend with knowing that she never really belonged with the twins and Haruhi. Sure they never abused her and were civil enough to her and gave her money to buy what she wanted but they never made any real emotional connection to her. It was like she was a trained pet to them; someone who only needed a few treats and the proverbial pat on the head to be considered happy before being shut out of the three-person romance.

They never truly acknowledged her as one of them, and Aiko knew it, though for the sake of politeness and fear of making enemies for her family, she kept quiet and bore it the best she could, seemingly resigned to her fate.

Unfortunately, Aiko constantly had to put up with all the attention that Haruhi was receiving. She watched with silent jealousy as her sister-in-law gained accolades from clients and was extolled for her brilliance and her career.

It was always about _that commoner._

Never about Kaoru's wife, because aside from a pretty face, what did _she_ really have to offer?

At first, Aiko tried to be a fan for Haruhi, but found it difficult because the twins knew she was faking it to avoid looking jealous. They had had years of experience in faking their smiles and acting, so they could see right through her, though they never pointed it out to her.

What was worse, Haruhi would occasionally give her looks of _pity_ of all things when she thought Aiko wasn't looking. Pity mixed with something else…what was it? Contempt? Envy? A silent signal that the blonde woman was only an interloper and not really welcome?

Whatever it was, Aiko was too angry to care, and generally avoided Haruhi unless she absolutely had to be with her, which was at most of the parties the Hitachiins held or attended. As always, the theoretical wife of Kaoru Hitachiin was trotted around like a show horse, and then put back out to pasture once the limelight went dark.

Despite her sadness, she stayed in the marriage and still attended parties and did her best to be the perfect wife. The fantasy had all been painted out for her, and all she had to do was be the good wife and do what her husband said, as her family had impressed upon her. And like the public trophy that she was, she obeyed him without question or argument.

Just like her mother before her, she had reflected bitterly, and all the women in her family.

_Except Kaede--NO! I can't think about that. _

But secretly her situation grated on her. Why did things feel so empty and cold? Why was Haruhi allowed to have the twins' affections and not her? Why was that commoner so special?

All those questions formed a confusing puzzle that drove Aiko crazy inside, and caused her to question her circumstances as she shopped for expensive shoes or handbags or plastered a fake smile on her face for the sake of politeness. And the loneliness that pervaded her psyche was horrible; like a refrigerated bell jar that trapped her and would slowly freeze her to death if things stayed as they were.

_I've never cheated on Kaoru, never argued with him, never overdone it with the alcohol, and to my knowledge, I've never deliberately done anything to displease him. _

_So what am I doing wrong? _

_Why doesn't my husband love me?_

Little did she know the fates weren't finished with her yet…or with any of them.

TBC…

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Author's note: First of all, I want to give a big thank you to BlackRosary for allowing me to use her OC in a fanfic. I greatly appreciate it, and I will do my best with her.

I do believe that Aiko is by nature a good person, but she's also spoiled, selfish, repressed, jealous and probably very easily manipulated. I am writing this fic as a challenge to see how someone such as Aiko can change her situation…WITHOUT turning her into a Mary Sue. So it's an experiment…of sorts. But for the sake of canon, this story takes place in an alternate universe, in which the twins did not make any effort to expand their world to include anyone other than Haruhi and the Host Club. (I can't be more clear without spoiling the storyline in the manga).

Thanks for all your reviews. You can also PM me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions that you may have.

Again, thank you.

"Always in motion is the future." – Master Yoda


	3. Fractured Nerves and Nighttime Musings

_**Notes and disclaimer:**__ Ouran and its characters belong to Hatori-sensei, and Aiko belongs to BlackRosary. So kindly refrain from suing. Thank you. _

CHAPTER 2: FRACTURED NERVES AND NIGHTTIME MUSINGS

_Place and time: Hitachiin estate, two years after the wedding._

Kaoru's POV:

Once again, I'm sleeping on the other side of the bed.

With earplugs in my ears.

Faced away from my twin brother and his (our?) wife.

I'm actually pondering sleeping in another room at this point, since their moodiness and sniping is wearing thinner and thinner every day.

Okay, so Haruhi found out a few weeks ago that she's pregnant (after forgetting her pills), and her workload does nothing but increase. I guess it's understandable she'd be crabby and stressed-out. I have no idea how stressful it is to be pregnant and a lawyer, but if it's anything like being pregnant and a fashion designer, Haruhi is in for one hell of a rough time. I remember Mom telling me how much of an ogre she was to Dad and her coworkers when she was pregnant with us, and now that stress is pulling Haruhi apart.

And the paternity test _confirmed_ that it's Hikaru's child, so don't look at me on this one.

Speaking of which, you would think Hikaru would give Haruhi a little breathing room at this point, but he's still such a possessive child at heart. He insists on spending his free time with her even when she has a huge case to work on, and then gets pouty and stupid when she doesn't want to pay attention to him and tells him to find something else to occupy his time.

Eventually, but not soon enough, Hikaru gets the message and moves onto me. Then I have to hear him yammering about how Haruhi is always so busy and that I'm so busy, and this that and the other thing. As much as I love my brother and Haruhi, this arrangement is turning out to be more of a pain than I thought.

I thought that the Host Club might have taught him to be a little more mature and learn some basic human interaction skills, which would deepen his bond with Haruhi and stop him from shutting out the outside world. He fell in love with her, and later on asked her father's permission to marry Haruhi, and he was so insistent and charming at the time. Of course, I followed him in his pursuit because after all, we're twins, and we like the same things. And Haruhi was, and still is, important to me as well.

I guess he's still an idiot after all.

Sort of like…that's right, Aiko's still around. I almost forgot.

I wonder what Aiko would think if she saw what was going on, what our so-called three-way romance had become.

It's been two years, and yet she's still here, participating in this arrangement, albeit somewhat more reluctantly than when we were first married. I don't know why she puts up with all of this.

Hell, I'm starting to forget why _I_ agreed to it myself.

Oh yes…it was Hikaru's idea. He wanted to have Haruhi in our world in the bonds of marriage forever. He loves Haruhi and he loves me. He wants his paradise to be official, but it can't be without a marriage document. But Haruhi can't have two husbands, so there has to be an extra wife in the arrangement to make it all legal, and that's where Aiko fits into all of this. That and her family's business.

But Hikaru won't let Aiko into our world, and at first I was okay with it. After all, I was—and still am--head-over-heels in love with Haruhi as well. She was the one to break into our world and see us as individuals. I barely noticed Aiko at all, and shut her out at the wedding, pretending to be Hikaru on several occasions so I could be with Haruhi and Hikaru instead of her. She was a total outsider to us, and our perfect paradise only had room for three, not four.

Or so I thought.

Looking back, I'm starting to think that was undeniably cruel behavior on my part. I realize that her only real crimes are that she can't distinguish us and she quickly spends the money we give her on clunky handbags, tacky shoes, gaudy clothes and art supplies. And she's got hellishly expensive tastes, just like a lot of women in her position.

Other than that, she really isn't all THAT bad. Oh sure she's spoiled no doubt about that, she's over-the-top in her fashion sense, and her temper is comparable to Hikaru's, but she hasn't done anything extremely out of line…yet.

I briefly met her family at the wedding. What a bunch of stiff traditionalists. Okay, so their textile business is one of the largest in Japan, so I can't badmouth them too much, but I wonder just how the men in Aiko's family got away with conditioning the women like that. Don't they know what century this is?

That father of Aiko's was especially bad. Too much of an authoritarian presence, and not afraid to show it. All the women in that family (what few were present) were sitting still and silent, not daring to speak unless spoken to. Except there was one empty chair next to her father.

Wonder why?

Now that I think about it a little more, it's just not right what he did. He sent his daughter off into an arrangement as if she was some sort of a transaction, a pile of money. And like a robot, Aiko just followed her programming. Never questioning, never standing up to him. Just going with the flow like the good daughter she was meant to be in his eyes. Sweet, obedient, and subservient to any male in authority. And I took advantage of that conditioning to keep her at a distance.

I think that's just plain awful.

I wonder if Aiko's had any kind of a life outside of her fantasies about marriage and raising a family. Who fed her that pile of cat poo?

Do I really have to guess on that one?

Sometimes her family calls or sends message to her, and according to the servants she always tenses up when that happens. She also doesn't like to go and visit them, claiming some mystery ailment. As unhappy as she seems here, she seems even less happy about going home, but feels she has no choice because of her father's orders. Although I keep my distance (because of Hikaru), I do notice lately that she comes back to the house crying and running directly back to her room.

That's probably why she stays. She wants to please her family, but she doesn't want to be with them.

Maybe she _is _sick. I'll ask Kyouya to keep an eye on her.

After all, she is my wife, if only on paper.

Don't misunderstand however; I can't see myself becoming romantic with her.

But I don't think it's a good idea to ignore her anymore either.

And just who is the person in that locket she keeps on her? The maids tell me that she looks at that picture for a long time, and then she just shakes her head as if she's trying to get rid of a nightmare.

Is it someone she loves…or someone she hates?

Jeez I need sleep. Maybe I will go to another room if only for some peace and quiet from Haruhi and Hikaru. Since she's having a baby, I'm going to be crowded off the bed in a few months anyway.

TBC…

A/N – Well, I've got some inspiration now, and I'm moving forward with the story. I hope you're enjoying it so far. I've also got the POVs for Hikaru, Haruhi, and Aiko to do, but that's to be expected. And just remember that this is an AU fic, so there will probably be some OOC moments, but ultimately things will work out as they are meant to work out. Not that I'm going into detail, but still…more work remains to be done.

Just remember that true love and indifference cannot co-exist in the same environment forever.

Now who's POV should I do next?


	4. All that Glitters Eventually Tarnishes

_**Notes and disclaimer:**__ Ouran and its characters belong to Hatori-sensei, and Aiko belongs to BlackRosary. As for Kaede…who knows? Thank you for not suing. _

CHAPTER 3: ALL THAT GLITTERS EVENTUALLY TARNISHES

_Place and time: Hitachiin estate, two years after the wedding._

Hikaru's POV

Okay, so this is argument number 455 I just had with a newly-pregnant Haruhi. Or is it number 456?

I think I've lost count at this point, and I think that my brother is slowly losing his mind because of it. And he's not the only one.

I'm going to be a father.

The paternity test showed it's mine. I know I should be happy about this, and maybe I am deep down. But _why now?_

I don't know how the hell I'm going to handle this. It feels overwhelming in the midst of all the other crap going on. This is super-bad timing.

I don't know thing one about being a father, except through our *ahem* self-proclaimed father Tono. My real father was always away on business, and even when he was here, Kaoru and I never really saw him.

I sort of resent him for it. Why couldn't we have had a relationship with him like the commoners do? Haruhi had an awesome relationship with her father by comparison, even if Ranka-san also had to act as a mother, and not just fashion-wise.

Haruhi can't handle being pregnant either. She has a huge caseload to work on and she isn't far enough along to be able to take maternity leave. Not that she would if she had any say in it, but if need be I will MAKE her take leave, since she got so absorbed in her work she forgot to take her pills…and now look what has happened?

Okay, I admit I feel kind of bad for pinning some blame on her, but if she had just paid a little more attention to something other than her work, then maybe…oh well, I guess we'd better make the most of it. She's probably blaming me also.

Why does she have to be this way? Okay, so she's going to be dealing with hormones and cravings and other stuff that Mom went through, but she can still find some way to make time for us right? I mean, Kaoru and I both love her and we want her to be happy, but lately she's been hiding out in her office working on cases.

I try to talk to her after I've had a long day at the office, and she just replies with "we'll talk later" and continues writing up legal briefs and conducting research.

Looking across the bed, I see that Kaoru has put those earplugs back in his ears so he won't hear me silently arguing with Haruhi _again_.

He's changed too. I remember when we were at the wedding we were so happy and it was so much fun. We had the woman of our dreams all to ourselves. It was perfect. Everything was perfect. We brought Haruhi to our room and placed her between us after that blissful day, and we've been together ever since.

Now Kaoru seems to be looking to other things that are going on, and not just with the business or with Haruhi or me. Something's bothering him, and I don't know what. He doesn't really discuss it with me, and it's pissing me off that he won't confide in us about it.

Gods, this is just another burden to add to my already-burgeoning plate of things I have to deal with. I have to get ready for several fashion shows in Paris, New York, and Milan…or is it Dubai? Haruhi is pregnant and swamped with work, and if that isn't enough, Kaoru seems to be withdrawing from me for some odd reason.

Our glittering gold paradise is starting to tarnish.

_Starting?_

What am I saying? It's already tarnished. Two years ago, we were so happy. We had each other, and life was perfect, peaceful, and the three of us…

Oh wait, there's _four_ of us.

Yes, Aiko is still here, probably counting the number of dresses and shoes she has in her closet for the umpteenth time, or picking through some random fashion magazine trying to figure out what else she can buy with our money.

How much money can one person spend anyway?

And why can she still not tell us apart after all this time?

Sure she tries every now and then, but during the odd times when she gets it right, Kaoru just pretends that he's me, at least when I'm around, and that gets her to back off.

That was amusing to watch for a while, but not anymore.

I wonder what kind of life Aiko has ever had aside from being a rich wife who just spends money on clothes and shoes and jewelry and art supplies and other crap?

Oh yeah, before that she was a girl dreaming of being a rich wife who just spends money on clothes and shoes and jewelry and art supplies and other crap.

Maybe Miss Rembrant fancies herself as an artist. Well, I've seen some of her outfits, and if her taste in clothes is any indication, her art is probably just as hard to look at. Incredibly gaudy, too many patterns, and just plain unsightly.

A walking monument to all that is tacky and ridiculous.

Of course, I have to be polite and cordial to her when I see her, since her family owns a major textile company and is one of our most prominent subsidiary companies. Thanks to the marriage between her and Kaoru, the Hitachiin business has been able to expand a great deal, increasing productivity and profits.

I guess I owe Aiko a debt of gratitude for that, but I wish she'd smarten up a little and realize that money isn't as easy to come by as she thinks. And I _really_ wish she would learn to tell Kaoru and I apart so that she doesn't look like a total idiot and embarrass us.

It's really getting old.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't really hate Aiko as a person. I _can't_ hate her since I don't really know her as a person, but I don't like her shallowness, passive-aggressive behavior, materialism and utter tackiness. It's annoying and it reminds me of how those stupid eighth grade girls acted when they wrote those vapid love letters and got Kaoru and I mixed up.

That's right, as far as I know Aiko never went to school past eighth grade. She probably had private tutors after that, ones who taught her how to be a perfect lady and a good rich man's wife, good for spending money, hosting parties, and not much else.

What a useless bunch of knowledge, but at least I can tell when Aiko is in the area when she walks around the mansion for reasons that I can't even begin to imagine.

Her outfits crinkle.

She probably has money stuffed under there or something. Who knows?

Who cares?

And _who's Kaede?_

The servants say that Aiko mentions that name under her breath when she's walking around and thinks she's alone.

Jeez, I wish she were less spacey. Those private tutors of hers probably drained those brains right out of her.

Of course, for Kaoru's sake and PR purposes, I have to indulge her and her ridiculous taste in fashion, and pay her and her family compliments in order to maintain good business relations with them.

What a bunch of stiffs they are.

If their business wasn't so important, I wouldn't have anything to do with them. Why does Aiko let that bunch boss her around anyway?

Oh, yes…_conditioning and honoring her family name._

Now Kaoru is leaving the room. I guess he's fed up with me and Haruhi arguing.

Guess I'll be following him if Haruhi kicks me out within the next few months. I should say _when_ she kicks me out.

She's already asleep, facing away from me. And now I can't sleep.

This whole situation is making me crazy.

TBC…

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A/N: I decided to do Hikaru's POV next, since it seemed logical. I did Kaoru's POV first, so his brother follows.

I will probably do Haruhi's POV next, since she has her own set of issues to deal with. The truth is, as sorry as I feel for Aiko, I feel even sorrier for Haruhi.

Think about it. Imagine yourself in a high-powered career, married to two men (despite the law) who are also in high-powered careers, and then becoming pregnant before you're ready. I can't imagine what it must be like for Haruhi, but it's probably not much fun, to put it mildly. It's probably very exhausting and strenuous.

Thank you for your reviews everyone.

T.H.


	5. When All the Dancing Stops

_**Notes and Disclaimer: **__ BlackRosary owns Aiko. I am just borrowing her for the sake of the fic. Also, I do not own any Ouran High School characters. They belong to Bisco Hatori. I am making no money off this fic. Thank you for not suing._

CHAPTER 4: WHEN ALL THE DANCING STOPS

_**Place and time**__: Hitachiin estate, two years after the wedding_

Haruhi's POV:

I'm so tired.

The arguments between Hikaru and me continue daily, and it amazes me that Kaoru can remotely tolerate it. The three of us have been together for two years. Together, in the same room, in the same bed, with me between them.

The remnants of the fairy tale take place in this one bedroom, every night, whether I want it or not, and now that fairy tale is nothing more than rotting pumpkin pieces.

If that isn't enough, I'm pregnant, and I'm not ready at all.

Why couldn't Hikaru have been a little more responsible and a little less demanding? I don't care what he says; _I'm_ not the one who wanted to—shall we say, get "freaky" that night after the Matsumoto case anyway. I was just too tired and two mentally fried to say no to him. And now I have to deal with the next few months of cravings, mood swings, growing to the size of a beached whale, you name it!

Next thing you know, I'll be craving wasabi peanuts dipped in baking chocolate and mixed into raw pancake batter at 4 in the morning. **(A/N: Probably not a very tasty thing to eat)**.

But what can I do? This is one of the biggest cases of my career; a multi-million yen case which could possibly decide my future with this law firm, and I can't afford anything to go wrong with it. What kind of a reflection would that be on me as a lawyer if I lose this case? Particularly since that newly-hired lawyer from France recently arrived at our firm…what's his name?

Henri. That's it.

Dark hair, dark blue eyes, a slight moustache, and always impeccably dressed.

He stands about a head taller than Hikaru and Kaoru, he's very intelligent, polite, generous, polished, well-mannered…

What am I thinking?

I'm a **married woman**, and…and…

I have another woman's husband with me, as well as my own.

Kaoru's married to Aiko in theory, but he might as well be married to both me and Hikaru in practice, since he loves us both so much. At least, that's how he felt at the time of the wedding. The three of us remain together in our happy little world, with Aiko on the outside looking in.

No wonder Aiko hates me, and I don't blame her. Even though she's never open about it with the three of us, I can feel the jealousy radiating off of her and I'm growing less and less resistant to it. The fact that I'm so mentally and physically exhausted from my work doesn't help matters either.

Thinking back, I only spoke to her briefly before the wedding, before the maids snatched me up and got me ready for the big event, which turned out to be my moment in the spotlight instead of hers.

But going back to Aiko.

She seemed nice at the time, albeit a little bit vapid, as if her whole existence revolved around snagging a rich husband and spending her life keeping him happy and raising his children. She didn't seem outright stupid, but it struck me as unusual that she chose to have private tutors instead of an actual high school education. I wonder if she felt that education was that important at the time.

I still remember all the details of the wedding, minus the fancy decorations, which I felt were entirely unnecessary. The entire host club was there, and Aiko was there too, even though no one noticed her or bothered to dance with her. Not even Kaoru, who would pretend to be Hikaru to get her to back off because at the time, she couldn't tell them apart.

But _I_ noticed Aiko the whole time during the wedding, and it took all my effort to pretend that I was the happiest person there, and ignore her jealous looks, which when I think back were entirely justified. The night after the wedding, I was just tongue-tied and unable to speak up about how wrong this arrangement was. Hikaru took me to the room while Kaoru took Aiko to her room on the other side of the mansion and then just left her there without any explanation. She's probably still there now, lonely as ever.

Almost as lonely as me probably, even though I have both Hikaru and Kaoru at my side, giving me constant attention while shutting Aiko out with money and semi-forced compliments.

This arrangement never stopped feeling wrong. Nothing has changed one way or the other, except it feels worse from my perspective.

Aiko's husband, Kaoru, almost never spends time with her, although he's far from abusive with her. He gives her money, and polite compliments at the appropriate times to keep her at least happy on the surface, but I doubt he could ever grow to love her.

I don't think that she's his type, and he may not be her type either. It takes a woman to know these things.

And Hikaru…I think the fact that Aiko still gets his names and Kaoru's names wrong half the time makes him feel resentment where he used to be amused by the mistakes she made. Is it really that important to him and Kaoru that Aiko get their names right? If they want to be told apart that badly, why don't they put forth the effort to make it easier? They can't act like twin devil boys forever.

Of course, her family's business is a powerful Hitachiin subsidiary—the Fujimiya Textile Group—so it's expected that the twins would want to keep her somewhat happy, even if it's in the form of money for clothes and jewelry and art supplies and whatever else she may want or need.

But the emotion isn't there when they hand her the fancy envelope of money or tell her just how lovely her blond dye job is or whatever. They treat her the way they used to treat the patrons of the Host Club, with some charm and a small smile. There's no real warmth, no sentiment, no connection. It just feels like a business transaction to them.

Like an act.

Who knows how much she could really be hurting with the knowledge that her own husband doesn't care about her?

I wish Kaoru would spend a little time with Aiko though, since she did agree to this arrangement for reasons that may—or may not—go deeper than just a rich girl wanting a rich husband.

But she won't talk to me. I sometimes hear her whisper someone's name under her breath when she thinks no one is around, but whenever she sees me she abruptly leaves with a dark look on her face and a fashion magazine tucked under her arm. Maybe she stuffs them in her kimonos which may explain that crinkling noise.

Who knows what she could be thinking? Who's Kaede, anyway?

I wish I knew. I'd like to ask her. It would be nice to at least find out whether or not she's actually happy about all of this.

Except she avoids me unless she has to attend any of the necessary Hitachiin social functions in which the four of us band together and create the illusion of a happy quartet so that our families are honored. Then once the party's over, we all go back to our separate worlds. Except I'm trapped inside, and she's shut outside, thanks to the wishes of Hikaru and Kaoru. Well, mostly Hikaru.

And this pregnancy…I was hoping for at least five childfree years. But tell it to my husband.

My _real_ husband.

I don't think Aiko's truly aware of how unhappy I am. Hikaru and Kaoru probably don't know the depths of my sadness either. Not with how things are with the Hitachiin business. Things have changed since the president stepped down without telling anyone why.

It's very difficult for me to put on the illusion of happiness with this marriage. I'm just too worn out. With me being pregnant and worrying about this big case, it's just a confining, unhappy state of being. Even now Kaoru's leaving the room, and I'm trying desperately with shut eyes to keep from feeling Hikaru's annoyed looks from our most recent argument.

I can't deal with motherhood. Not now. I know I should be happy, but I don't know very much about being a mother, since I lost mine at such a young age. There is no doubt more to it than knowing how to cook or clean or play with children. And since Hikaru's and Kaoru's parents mostly left them in the care of nannies and servants, I doubt they'd have any real clue either on the subject of parenthood.

Great, now I'm whining. Some lawyer I am.

I have two very different men as husbands, each with their own wants and needs and I'm trying to balance between them. I'm getting closer to the edge at work thanks to my latest casework load, particularly since I know I am breaking the law by being married to two men and have that nagging guilt because of that knowledge. I have a jealous, passive-aggressive sister-in-law who would probably love nothing better than to see me lying dead in a subway tunnel. She's always watching, glaring at me—rightfully so—from outside our so-called perfect paradise.

What she probably doesn't know, however, is that while she's on the outside looking in, I'm on the inside looking out.

But where's the way out, if such a way exists? And if things do indeed reach a breaking point, what will happen?

I can't even think straight now. I need at least six hours of uninterrupted, semi-deep sleep, preferably without any thoughts of pregnancy or Hikaru or Kaoru or cases or anything.

I wonder how the rest of the host club is doing.

I wonder how _he's_ doing.

Please, _please_ let me drift off now. Mother in heaven, please. Help me figure this whole mess out, for all of our sakes.

* * *

TBC…

Author's notes: Okay, I know I have been out of the fanfic writing pool for some time, but I have grappled with a lot of things over the past few months, not the least of which is my computer crashing and me starting a new job which takes up a lot of my time. Rest assured, however: I also have not forgotten about my other fanfic, "Up in Smoke." There are several plot elements that need to be researched a little more in that fic. Actually, for those of you still reading, you may have noticed that the chapter names spell out something. Look closely, and look down.

So now you have Haruhi's point of view after two years of marriage to two men. Not such a great deal after all is it? It's way past midnight now, and the night is only going to get darker.

Next up, Aiko's POV. How does the so-called "interloper" deal with her own issues in after two years of what passes for her marriage? The suffering continues.

Oh, and the Fujimiya Textile Group is a fictional company ("Googled" to confirm). I was watching _Weiss Kreuz_ (**NOT**_ Knight Hunters_) at the time I came up with the company name, and the name Fujimiya is a nod to one of the hottest guys in that anime. Bonus cyber-cookie for whoever knows his real name. He's voiced by my absolute favorite seiyuu of all time.


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